Dynamic renal scan in the non-visualizing kidney.

Thirty-one patients with 35 non-visualizing kidneys on excretory urography were studied with 99mtechnetium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid scintiscanning. In 11 cases good renal blood flow and concentration were demonstrated on nucleide scanning. All patients had significant parenchyma and recoverable renal function after appropriate surgical management. In 20 cases there was little or no blood flow on the scan. These patients either had a congenitally absent kidney or severely destroyed parenchyma. The 99mtechnetium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid dynamic renal scan is a sensitive method for predicting renal salvageability of a kidney that fails to visualize on excretory urography.